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Oral History Interview with Kanwal Rahman, July 15, 1999. Interview K-0817. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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So you at all interact with, what you would consider,
sort of, your community here, or, what would the term
"community" even mean to you, here in this context,
in America?

KANWAL RAHMAN:

I believe that the community feeling is very strong among most
Bangladeshi's and they, interact very much with each other,
and, er. . .. Because most of the people who are from Bangladesh over
here in Chapel Hill, Raleigh/Durham areas, are either going to college,
or studying their master or higher studies or working in a field
relevant to their studies—. I, per se, have not been much in
touch with my community, only because there are certain limitations
right now—not having a car, not having the
time—not being in my field of work yet, as I wanted to
be—.

RAJIKA BHANDARI:

Okay.

KANWAL RAHMAN:

And, er. . .. That—.

RAJIKA BHANDARI:

But you feel that they as a community are quite open to that. They,
Otherwise there's a lot of interaction between, sort of,
other Bangladeshi's who, you know—.

KANWAL RAHMAN:

There is! There is a very strong—. Because they celebrate
their national holidays among themselves, or a Saturday—.
So, er. . . the communities are pretty strong.

RAJIKA BHANDARI:

Okay.
[pause]
Okay—. Do you interact a lot with, er. . ..
Americans, as in friends, as well as American families?

KANWAL RAHMAN:

I do interact with a lot of American friends and I think, ahm. . . to
tell you the truth I have, because of my work and because of the way
I'm living my life right now, I, I interact more with
Americans than any of my community members, and, er. . .. But this
families, I never had much of a chance, apart from my older
sister's in-laws, who are Americans and, maybe on an odd
Christmas I'd go out and have, to Chicago and have dinner
with them, or spend Christmas with them. But otherwise, all of, all
of, er. . . people I interact with are Americans, and they are friends.